Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Article: Dave's Cosmic Subs and Music to Open in Former Barking Spider Space on CWRU Campus

Kind sad, but it could be worse I guess.  I hope I can find a sub there I like.

Davesbarking

"Come late 2018, the location once again will play host to live music, when Dave's Cosmic Subs and Music debuts at the historic property. The locally owned and operated sub shop will be a unique blend of familiar subs and live music, a first for the 20-year-old chain.

‘It’s my first store with live music,’ says founder Dave Lombardy, who at the age of 23 left Cleveland to pursue an acting and singing career in California. ‘So it’s come full circle for me. It’s a wonderful location. It’s going to be a really cool spot.’

North Coast Cosmic Subs, a franchisee that operates Dave’s Cosmic Subs in Cleveland Heights, Berea, Mentor and Oberlin, has signed a long-term lease on the university-owned building (11310 Juniper Rd.), nestled in the heart of campus by L’Albatros restaurant.

‘The intention is to completely renovate, restore and refresh the space into a modern Dave’s Cosmic Subs prototype that can house a full-service bar and a venue for music and live entertainment,’ explains Paul Sidhu, president of North Coast Cosmic Subs."

(Via Dave's Cosmic Subs and Music to Open in Former Barking Spider Space on CWRU Campus | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Video Day #tzachill

Fleet Foxes just released a touching and beautiful short film video for If You Need To, Keep Time on Me.  Yoke Lore tells the story of lesbian relationship with his new video for Ride.  The Internet are knocking out the great singles, with their newest video for La Di Da.

Bonus:  The Decemberists just released a new video for Once in My Life, check out Colin Meloy’s take on the video below, and follow the link for more from the director as well.

 

"Meloy says:

We were searching for a video idea for ‘Once In My Life’ that would somehow capture the spirit of the song. In my mind, the song is a meditation, a plea to the cosmos that I imagine everyone, at some point or another, has made. We asked our old friend and collaborator Autumn de Wilde to pitch an idea and she came to us with a simple but powerful story: a depiction of her brother Jacob, a man who has lived with physical and intellectual differences his entire life, dancing in the streets of Los Angeles. The song, in this light, becomes more than just a ‘celebration of sadness,’ (which I have sometimes called it) but suddenly a longing holler to the universe against one’s perceived otherness.

This idea is particularly close to me as I’ve witnessed how the world sees my son Hank, who is autistic. When I’m out in public with Hank, I’m acutely aware of the world’s attachment to social and behavioral norms; in these situations, Hank’s otherness can suddenly be put in stark relief. Through the lens of Jacob’s joyful and defiant movement in Autumn’s video, we see a man shrugging off the constraints of an unaccommodating and judgmental world and truly reveling in his body and mind."

(Via The Decemberists – “Once In My Life” Video - Stereogum.)

Monday, July 30, 2018

Article: Cleveland's Music Saves record shop finds new life with online store and pop-up events

Just getting caught up with this article.  Music still Saves!

Cloud Nothings  4 17 10

"Luckily for music fans in Cleveland (and beyond), the song isn't over. This June, Music Saves launched an online store. For fans of Hershberger's sharp curation of records that were always stocked at the shop, you'll find a wide selection of indie, rock, folk, electronic and more online. Music can be shipped to your doorstep or picked up at the shop at 15801 Waterloo Road.

'Music Save has been a Cleveland institution for almost 14 years,' Hershberger says. 'It has become not just an important part of my life, but of the lives of many who live here. While the retail brick-and-mortar storefront no longer felt sustainable, I wasn't ready to give up on the store just yet. People are shopping online more and more, and I felt a growing demand for Music Saves to be available in that way.'"

(Via Cleveland's Music Saves record shop finds new life with online store and pop-up events | cleveland.com.)

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Another great year at the Pitchfork Music Festival!  A bunch of great bands this year, with some of my favorites performances from Syd, Courtney Barnett, Mount Kimbie, Zola Jesus, Blood Orange, The War on Drugs, and Kelly Lee Owens (who really impressed me).  Biggest disappointments this year were both Chaka Kahn and Lauryn Hill.  Unfortunate, but I rarely attend this festival for the headliners anyway. It was also a really unstable weather year, but probably one of the most enjoyable! Photos and video below!

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Pitchfork Music Festival 2018

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Róisín Murphy has churned out yet another great song/video for Plaything!  Hercules & Love Affair put out their video for one of my favorite songs on their new album, Are You Still Certain feat. Mashrou’ Leila.

Bonus:  Sofi Tukker is upping their game with their polished video for Benadryl.

Sidi Touré (7/18/18)

I first took note of Sidi Touré back in 2013 when he released Alafia, noticing the name similarity to Ali Farka Touré.  It was a great album, and I was happy to see another one of his released earlier this year!  Then, I couldn’t have been happier when I then saw he was performing at the Transformer Station as part of Front International’s City Stages concert series!   Such a great experience.

Sidi Touré  7 18 18

Sidi Touré  7 18 18

Later I went back to just confirm the connection between these men with the same last name, which you can see below (no relation).

"When Malian songwriter and guitarist Sidi Touré first emerged on the international scene in 2011, he was regularly compared to Ali Farka Touré, his countryman and predecessor. There was a similarity in means, sound and even surnames, and both musicians hail from the Songhaï region of Northern Mali. The signature blues-inflected guitar and plaintive vocal melisma of Songhaï folk music carries melodic and repertory characteristics that extend from Ibrahim Dicko—Touré’s mentor—to Ali Fakra Touré’s pioneering work. Over the course of two recordings—last year’s critically-lauded Koïma and his revelatory debut Sahel Folk—and attention from NPR, SPIN and Pitchfork, among others, Touré’s musical identity has fully come into its own."

(Via Alafia | Sidi Touré.)

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Articles: Phantasy finally gets a buyer

More music venue news in Cleveland.  I can’t say I’ll miss The Phantasy all that much - but losing the Chamber hurts.

Phantasy

 

 

"The circa-1915 building, which runs between 11794 to 11814 Detroit Ave. and spans more than 54,000 square feet, has found a buyer.

 

'It's under contract to be sold, but as in any commercial real estate transaction there is a due diligence period that is not up until Aug. 4,' according to Rachele Glynias, who has been handling the listing for Howard Hanna Real Estate. The

 

The complex features three liquor licenses and is anchored by the Phantasy Nightclub. It also boasts the popular goth-rock lair, the Chamber, a long-running bar-club called the Symposium and, of course, the Phantasy Music Theater.

 

The complex also boasts something more nebulous, but just as vital to the music scene: countless musical memories.

 

Nine Inch Nails debuted at the Phantasy. The Ramones, Iggy Pop, the Pogues, the Damned, the Psychedelic Furs, the Cramps, Motorhead and the B-52s all played there. The Phantasy was also fertile soil for Cleveland's ascending 1970s and 1980s music scenes."

 

(Via Storied Phantasy Entertainment Complex in Lakewood under contract to be sold (photos) | cleveland.com.)

"After nearly three years on the market, the Phantasy Cleveland (which includes The Chamber nightclub) has been purchased by an unidentified buyer as first reported on Friday. A real estate source told NEOtrans's Ken Prendergast that the buyer will likely be ending the property's run as a performing arts venue and will remove its three bars in place of residential, offices and additional parking."

(Via Cleveland's Goth Community to Cry More Than Usual With Selling of Phantasy Nightclub in Lakewood | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Video Day #tzachill

Meshell Ndegeocello released this joyful video for Sensitivity, off her amazing covers album.  Josh Rouse has been killing it with this new album, and now has a vintage video for Salton Sea.  Saintseneca just posted a really creative video for their new single, Ladder to the Sun. 

Bonus: Max Richter just re-issued his Blue Notebooks and created a short film for his piece On The Nature of Daylight starring the indelible Elisabeth Moss, who produced the film.  Stunning work on both their parts.

Jupiter & Okwess (7/14/18)

If you haven’t heard about FRONT International: An American City events happening around the city - don’t wait!  So much cool stuff happening, and this show was just the beginning.  It was great to have Uptown closed off for this FRONT opening concert celebration with Jupiter & Okwess from Congo to kick off a series of excellent music events around the city.  The entire City Stages schedule can be found here. (Sidi Touré tomorrow night!)

Jupiter  Okwess  7 14 18

Jupiter  Okwess  7 14 18

Article: Agora undergoes a $3 million-plus facelift and emerges as a jewel among Cleveland concert venues

Speaking of the Agora, it’s lookin’ good these days!  A nice update to one of Cleveland’s venerable music venues.  I’m still disappointed that they’re using metal detectors to get in, but I guess that’s the world we live in now.

12 Theatre After

"'We didn't want to polish the character out of it,'' said Miller, explaining why AEG Presents chose to fix and update certain things - like the new polished concrete floors in the theater and ballroom, the fancy fixtures and perfect stalls in the now-pristine bathrooms and the multiple upscale bars and point-of-sale systems spread throughout the facility - and yet retain and restore things like the French matte-style tiles.

The sound system, too, has been upgraded, as has the lighting system, which should help make the Agora once again a jewel in Cleveland's burgeoning concert scene."

(Via Agora undergoes a $3 million-plus facelift and emerges as a jewel among Cleveland concert venues | cleveland.com.)

The War on Drugs (7/13/18)

Having seen these guys back in 2014 at the Grog Shop, I knew it’d be a good show - but damn!  The band was superb, but throw in the light show and it’s probably one of the best shows I’ve seen in the Agora!  All the more excited to see these guys at Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend...

The War on Drugs  7 13 18

The War on Drugs  7 13 18

The War on Drugs  7 13 18

"The brass sealed the deal for me. For my money, Jon Natchez's droning ambience on sax took most of last night's set from The War on Drugs to another level of heavy, all-encompassing American rock. Never overdone, it was properly placed in the context of each tune, each jam.

That's essentially how the band works as a whole. Adam Granduciel's delicate compositions are built on a fine layering technique. In the live setting, the band replicates it beautifully.”

(Via The War on Drugs Subsumes The Agora With Massive, Unrelenting American Rock | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Friday, July 13, 2018

Weezer / Pixies (7/11/18)

I was surprised to see Pixies and Weezer touring together!  While I’d be intrigued to see each of them separately, put them together at Blossom with $20 lawn seats, and I’ll definitely go!  While neither band has been top of my agenda lately, both have had some great songs - and it was fun to be sitting outside on a beautiful evening with friends to watch.  That being said, capturing media of the show wasn’t my top priority, but here’s what I got… (Scene’s review below)

Pixies  7 11 18

Weezer  7 11 18

"The band’s expermintal new album blurs the lines between pop and alternative. It seemed like an alright plan, but the issue is that Weezer is not Imagine Dragons, and they should be held to a higher standard. But they’re also not the Beach Boys, the group that inspired the new album. When Weezer stops trying so hard to be somebody else and stays true to itself, the magic happens, and that’s what happened onstage last night.

‘We have a lot to talk about right now,’ said drummer Patrick Wilson. ‘It’s Scott’s birthday and Weezer’s cover of Toto’s ‘Africa’ went straight to the top of the charts.’"

(Via Weezer Focuses on the Hits for Its Blossom Show | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Article: Cain Park celebrates 80 years of outdoor arts in Cleveland Heights

This being Cain Park's Art Festival weekend, I thought it would be a good time to share this article… 

Esperanza Spalding  7 25 17

"For 80 years, Cain Park in Cleveland Heights has entertained audiences under the stars with quality theatre, nationally-known musical and comedy acts, and arts showcases.

Bob Hope, Harry Belafonte, Sarah McLachlan, Livingston Taylor, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones are just some of the famous names that have graced the Evans Amphitheater stage, while theater productions like The Toxic Avenger, Hair, and Bat Boy The Musical have attracted sold-out crowds.

Renowned actors like Hal Holbrook, Dom DeLuise, Carol Kane, Jack Weston, and Pernell Roberts have also performed over the park’s history on sets designed by industrial artist and Cleveland native Viktor Schreckengost. And then there's the yearly Cain Park Arts Festival, a three-day juried art event held each July drawing as many as 150 local and national artists, selling their work at every price point."

(Via Cain Park celebrates 80 years of outdoor arts in Cleveland Heights.)

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Tri-C Jazz Fest (6/30/18)

After a beautiful night seeing Ray LaMontagne & Neko Case at Nautica, we stumbled upon Tri-C’s Jazz Fest in Playhouse Square!  I always have plans to go every year, but seeing this will make it a priority next year!

Tri C Jazz Fest  6 30 18

Ray LaMontagne / Neko Case (6/30/18)

A beautiful night outside on the river, watching Neko Case & Ray LaMontange = no brainer.  Both were as excellent as always, and I particularly loved the shout out to the Beachland Ballroom crew by Neko Case.  Love that woman.
Neko Case  6 30 18
Neko Case  6 30 18
As for Ray, I’ll let Scene take it from here:

"Wearing a ragged cowboy hat and jeans (he owns a farm, so he can pull it off), LaMontagne ignored his more popular tunes like ‘Jolene,’ ‘Trouble’ and ‘Supernova.’ And yet, with the backing of his fine four-piece band, he still managed to deliver an engaging set that had a quiet intensity to it (he’s said in interviews that some of the songs on Part of the Light reference the current political climate) in front of a respectful crowd that filled about three-fourths of the venue.
...
He's a real class act, and his fans seem to acknowledge and understand that he enjoys performing live even if he doesn't offer much in the way of banter.
Alt-country singer-songwriter Neko Case opened with a 40-minute set that adroitly veered from tender ballads to power-pop anthems. Her five-piece band nicely complimented her powerful voice, and she capably switched from tambourine to electric and acoustic guitar during her performance."
(Via Ray LaMontagne Taps Into a Classic '60s Vibe at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)
Ray LaMontagne  6 30 18
Ray LaMontagne  6 30 18